A Kind of Home
by Homewithnowalls
Summary: Jeerenaza's only goal in life was to be a great Mage like his father. However Savos Aren decided Jeerenaza's talents were better suited for life outside of the college.


"Enthir what the hell are you talking about?" I hissed at the bosmer.

"I don't have any nightshade, Jee-Jee." Said Enthir, trying to antagonize me by using a pet name a girl once used on me.

"That is not my name you fetcher and you know it." There was a faint guttural growl building up in the back of my throat and I had an almost overwhelming urge to sink my teeth into this tiny little elf's throat.

"Oh i'm sorry, Jeerenaza." Said Enthir making sure to over-enunciate every syllable of my name. "But I don't have any nightshade. You shouldn't have paid before the shipment got here."

The urge to rip his throat out was getting stronger with each passing second.

"We had a deal! I pay you, you get me twenty portions of nightshade. I don't give a damn whether or not you have to go pick the stuff yourself you will get me my nightshade!"

"And if not?" Enthir said loud enough for everyone to hear. I think he did it so in case I tried to wring his scrawny neck people would be there to pull me off of him.

"I don't think you want to know what will happen." My voice was laced with malice.

"How's about I cut you a deal Jee-Jee?" Enthir became more confident with a small crowd growing. "You pay me say, twenty septims and-"

Enthir didn't even see my fist swing toward him. His head snapped to the side when I made contact and spittle shot from his mouth. After I got my temper in check I shook my bruising knuckles and began to speak.

"First you lose my money, then you try to extort more from me!"

"You damn lizard!" Roared Enthir cupping his split cheek in one hand. His other hand started to crackle and snap with pure energy.

"Come on then you fetcher!" I snarled and grabbed the hilt of the greatsword protruding over my left shoulder.

"THAT'S ENOUGH! BOTH OF YOU!" Said a booming voice. The Arch-mage of the College of Winterhold Savos Aren seemed to appear out of thin air. That dunmer had a way of going unnoticed.

"But Arch-mage." Enthir began to whine completely forgetting his bleeding cheek for the time being. His hand was no longer glowing and I took my hand off of the hilt of my blade.

"What is the matter with you both? This is a place of learning. There is no room for your petty squabbles. Enthir go help Urag gro-Shub in the Arcanaeum. I'm sure he wouldn't mind putting you to work. Jeerenaza come with me." The angered Arch-mage ordered us. He lead me down the stairs and across the Hall of the Elements. We ascended the steps into the Arch-Mage's quarters.

I walked inside and was stunned. I had never been in this area of the college before. There a was a large tree growing in the center of the room with an assortment of exotic plants growing around it. Small butterflies fluttered around the room, providing a feel of warmth rarely felt in this frigid section of Skyrim. Bookshelves lined the walls filled to the brim with knowledge. There were random trinkets and tokens strewn about no doubt having some magical quality about them.

The slam of the heavy wooden doors being shut brought me back to reality. Savos Aren looked at me and shook his head.

"Jeerenaza," He began. "Why are you here?"

"What do you mean Arch-Mage?" I asked bewilderedly. I had come up here expecting to be punished. Instead I was being asked a simple question.

"I mean why are you here, at the college? You have almost no magical ability and you don't even seem interested in what we are trying to teach here." Savos elaborated.

"Well," I began thinking. Why was Savos asking me these questions? He knew all the intricacies of my life almost as well as I did.

"You know why I want to be here Arch-Mage. My father devoted his life to this college. All I have ever wanted in life was to be like him so when I became old enough to join it seemed the right thing to do. And I am talented with the arcane arts." I tried to convince myself I was but I knew Savos was right.

"Your heart is in the right place Jeerenaza, but are you sure your mind is?" Savos asked questioningly. "Do you really want to be here or are you just trying to live up to your fathers memory?" I didn't like the way this conversation was going.

"I am making great progress with my magic though. Really Arch-Mage I am. And so what if I don't like it here? I have nowhere else to go anyways."

"Fine, Jeerenaza. I guess you won't be leaving here by your own will. I didn't want to have to say this but you are expelled from the college." Savos said quietly. His head was bowed and he refused to look me in the eye.

"What? I don't understand. I haven't done anything wrong." I was terrified. All my life I had just wanted to be like my father and now that chance was being taken away.

"Really Je?" I was surprised. Savos always used my formal name. He turned and cast a telekinesis spell at a book on one of the shelves. It hovered over and I saw that the title was "_Student Discipline Record." _Savos flipped to a page and turned the book to my face. The page read:

_Jeerenaza, Second Year Student _

_Discipline Infractions_

_1: Broke into the Midden, attempted to use the atronach forge without permission. Caught by Faralda_

_2: Broke into the restricted section of the Arcanaeum, spent night reading trying to learn about vampirism and lycanthropy. Caught sleeping by Urag Gro-Shub_

_3: Drew weapon on another member of the college. Caught by Savos Aren_

"You have done plenty wrong Jeerenaza, and you know it. I'm sorry but you have to go. You have an hour to pack your things and leave the college grounds or you be apprehended and sent to The Chill." Savos told me in a soft voice.

"But Savos." My world was falling apart around me.

"No! Go Jeerenaza! Get out of my sight this instant!" Savos roared at me. A student had not been expelled for quite some time and us at the college were a close group. I exited the Arch-Mages quarters without a word. The only noises left were that of the heavy doors sealing shut, and my heart shattering into a million pieces.

* * *

I was sitting at a corner table in The Frozen Hearth, a small inn in Winterhold. Many people were clustered together inside. People chatted idly while they waited for the snowstorm outside to subside so they could return to their homes.

"Close the damn door!" A man said angrily as a newcomer walked in. The newcomer stood in the doorway for several seconds, looking panicked. In the time he held the door open the temperature in the room had dropped several degrees and a few of the candles positioned all around the room had been blown out.

"Somebody... please... please help me!" The newcomer exclaimed. "Something... something... has happened at... at... Whistling Mine!"

"Calm down." Someone approached the man. "What happened?" I realized the newcomer was holding his hand tightly against his abdomen. Blood bubbled out from the spaces in between his fingertips.

"Vampires... so many... Whistling Mine... so much blood..." The newcomer's eyes rolled int the back of his skull and he toppled forward onto a table.

"We need to go help them!" A drunk cried out. There were a few halfhearted agreements from a group of men-at-arms in the back of the room but otherwise nobody wanted to go help them.

I stood up from my seat in the corner and began to speak.

"I don't know about you but I have lived my whole life in Winterhold. Many of you here knew my father who the nords called Filled-With-Fire but who I knew as Shadalez. He was a respected mage who lost his life defending ordinary people like those at Whistling Mine from creatures like vampires. And I'll be damned if I put his memory to shame by sitting around twiddling my thumbs while good people are dying! Who is going to help me?"

Nobody stood up in the room. The drunk yelled again from somewhere in the room. A few men looked around guiltily at each other.

"I'll go." I heard an unbelievably deep voice say. I turned around and saw a beast of a man. He was a least a head taller than me. The huge man was a redguard.

"Thank you. What is your name?" I asked the hulking man.

"My name is Amhirnam." Amhirnam replied.

"Well I suppose we best get moving. Come along then."  
Amhirnam and I began the long trek to Whistling Mine on foot.


End file.
